Album Review - Pia - Urban Explorer

Pia – Urban Explorer

01 Urban Explorer
02 Misconstrued
03 Silver
04 Save Us
05 Go! Just Go!
06 The Oracle [Swan Remix]
07 B.F.S [Butterfly Remix]

Purchase This Album

Alternative rock band Pia have returned to the music scene with a mini album titled Urban Explorer, one year since their fourth album, Waterfalls. Unlike their previous works, Pia have experimented with new sounds, incorporating synthesizers and different instruments. The electronica sounds are prominent in many of the songs, perhaps to appeal to a wider audience. Pia have mentioned on their official website that they wanted to talk about the corrupt society today. One can perhaps sense this through the songs in Urban Explorer.

The title track of the album is Urban Explorer, a song that fuses electronica and rock genres together. The instruments in the background are what caught my attention, and you can hear a great portion of it 2:13 into the song. Using this song as the first single was wise because it definitely showed their new style.

One of the songs I enjoyed was Misconstrued, which is the follow-up track. Unlike Urban Explorer, it is a bit heavier with more guitar and bass involved. Save Us, which was a re-arranged song from their previous number Still Going Down, was another favorite of mine. There was a great use of bass and member Yohan’s vocals were reminiscent of No Brain’s in their hit song “Banhesuh.” One also should try out Go! Just Go!. I loved the vocals that flowed well with the fast pace of this song. I recommend this song to those who are keen on something loud and upbeat. One should also pay close attention to the instrumentals; the use of synthesizers and guitars harmonize well. The last song I wanted to mention was B.F.S. [Butterfly Remix]. The mood of the song is very light and the vocals are very reminiscent of Seo Taiji’s.

Overall, I enjoyed this album. Though I have heard of Pia, it was my first time listening to their songs, and as a new fan of Korean alternative rock, I was glad to have tried them out. I took their experimentation of new sounds in a positive light because I feel that fans of mainstream music may actually take a liking to Pia’s mini album.

5/5

5/5 – Even if you’re not a fan of this artist/group this album is a must buy.
4/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you must buy this album.
3/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you might want to add this one to your collection.
2/5 – I don’t think a fan would even buy this.
1/5 – You might as well just flush your money down the toilet